Is Lakewood, CA tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Lakewood has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and California’s records.
Lakewood - City, Water Dept., which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 18.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
The water from Lakewood - City, Water Dept. is soft to very hard depending on the source, 46 to 260 mg/L (2.7 to 15.2 grains per gallon). How California’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Lakewood’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Lakewood - City, Water Dept.
California · serves 66,356 people · nearly all in Lakewood
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 18.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 46 to 260 mg/L (2.7 to 15.2 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Gswc - Artesia
California · serves 50,415 people · about 20,700 in Lakewood
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOS at 13 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: hard to very hard depending on the source, 130 to 279 mg/L (7.6 to 16.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Lakewood - City, Water Dept.’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOS, Arsenic
Water testing near Lakewood
The 3 labs California certifies closest to Lakewood, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Long Beach Public Health Laboratory
Long Beach, CA · about 4 miles
Certified for bacteria
Alpha Analytical Laboratories, Inc. - Los Angeles
Signal Hill, CA · about 4 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Food Microbiological Laboratories, Inc.
Cypress, CA · about 5 miles
Certified for bacteria
Which ZIP codes are in Lakewood: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: California State Water Resources Control Board, ELAP accredited laboratories and their fields of accreditation; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Lakewood
Other towns in Los Angeles County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Lakewood - City, Water Dept.’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water